Jaw-dropper of the Day: Obama Recommended to Harvard by Dr. Khalid al Mansour

Why would Dr. Khalid al Mansour be soliciting high-powered letters in favor of Barack Obama’s acceptance to Harvard?

Good lord! does the media ever intend to do it's job? Why is it that blogs are digging this stuff up, but the media have no clue? Townhall posted this jaw-dropping series of videos of the man said to be linked to Obama in a way that should raise serious eye-brows. Does Obama owe his acceptance to Harvard and his career to this man? Who is Khalid al Mansour and how did he know Barack Obama? A cursory search on Youtube turns up several controversial clips, in the vein of Obama's longtime friend and former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright.... and much worse.

Civil rights activist Percy Sutton said he was solicited by a man named Dr. Khalid al Mansour to send a letter of reccomendation on behalf of Barack Obama to help him gain acceptance to Harvard many years ago.

From Belmont Club: Dr. Khalid Abdullah Tario Al-Mansour is an internationally acknowledged advisor to Heads of State and business leaders in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North America. He has been actively involved in structuring investments and joint ventures worldwide for over 35 years. Dr. Al-Mansour was also responsible for the Africa investment activities of Kingdom Holdings, Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal’s investment company. During his distinguished career, Dr. Al-Mansour has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University, Bombay University, Columbia University, UCLA, University of Kenya, London School of Economics and the University of Ghana.

In addition to Africa Venture Partners, Dr. Al-Mansour sits on the Boards of: Saudi African Bank; Kingdom Holdings, Africa; Multimedia Super Corridor (Malaysia); Space Tech Inc.; AmNet Corp. International; New Avenues Fund Ltd; United Bank for Africa; United Networks; and Landmark Entertainment.

Dr. Al-Mansour has authored 24 books and is listed in Who’s Who in the World; International Who’s Who in the Arab World; Two Thousand Men of Achievement; Royal Blue Book of London; World’s Who’s Who of Intellectuals and American Hall of Fame. Dr. Khalid Al-Mansour has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University (Phi Beta Kappa) and Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of California at Berkeley.

This Mansour of Africa Ventures looks too good to be true. His accomplishments are so great and fame so limited that he appears to be the human equivalent of a Nigerian email scam? Yet he is apparently real. Another al-Mansour who may fit the bill is “Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al-Mansour of San Antonio, a black lawyer and orthodox Islamic lecturer”. Sutton mentioned that Al-Mansour was from Texas. This profile of the lawyer, said to be from 1996 AP piece suggestively coincides with Sutton’s recollection that Mansour was from Texas.

Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary-general of the Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America, cites higher numbers. He estimates blacks comprise half of the nation’s 8 million Muslims, with members of the vocal and controversial Nation of Islam — perhaps the best-known group of Muslim blacks — constituting a small minority. It’s growing. There’s no question it’s growing,” says Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al-Mansour of San Antonio, a black lawyer and orthodox Islamic lecturer. More and more inner-city Islamic centers are emerging,” Syeed says. “That’s a new phenomenon.”

Are they the same man? This link from Par Excellance, suggests that Al-Mansour and the preacher shown on the Townhall video unlikely as it may seem, may be the same person. The Mansour described in Par Excellance matches the profile in Africa Ventures and has the same face as the Muslim preacher in the video. If so, then this list of his lectures, distributed from the Halalco Supermarket at Falls Church, VA, is a strange one indeed. This would raise almost as many questions as it answers. This video bio of Mansour leaves no doubt that he claims to be a lawyer is the preacher and the man described in the Africa Ventures site.

I wonder if the readers can shed any additional light on this matter. Knowing someone at the right hand of very rich men is a great thing when you’re looking for entry into law school. Sutton took Mansour’s advice, whoever he was, and wrote Harvard saying there was a “genius” who would soon be available to them. And the rest is nearly history.

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